10 Tips to MC Nigerian Events

Nigerians attend events wearing an attitude; joyful expressions, smiles, loud imperious voices, raised shoulders, tilted heads, gliding peacocks, all pump and plare! The flowing head gear; gele and rustling of sweat soaked agbada with beautiful aroma welcomes you to the event. The Master of the ceremony or the compere ensures the smooth running of these events… or not. Some MCs are so terrible some of us begin to wish there had been no MC at the ceremony at all. Some MCs are inexperienced or not flexible enough to readjust for the crowd. This causes a disconnect between them and the audience. To avoid this to happen as a compere try our 10 tips to MC Nigerian events below:

1. Be funny:

Crack jokes, not dry or stale ones. Use information everyone in the audience are likely to be familiar with. Be witty in your presentation of your jokes. Your jokes should amuse and not offend your audience. You can make a joke about the people in the audience, the setting and even the event itself if you have any, that way your audience can relate.

2. Repeat the instructions:

Not everyone is concentrating at an event. Always repeat your directive for a clear delivery. Else, you discover you have been communicating with only yourself.

3. Be nice and positive:

A positive attitude is all you need to carry the day. At an event, unpredictability is the standing order. Only a positive mind would be able to work around any unforeseen crisis. Stay up beat or have the audience resent you for nastiness.

4. Don’t leave the timing to the chairman:

Be time conscious and control the time allocated to each segment. The chairman may be too involved to be aware of time management. Politely, wrap up any segment that is wasting time.

5. Don’t overdo it:

Please don’t get carried away. Drive your points home as quickly as possible. Don’t go round and round in circles. Once, you notice that the audience is not connecting, switch strategy or you’ll lose them. So do not tell unnecessary stories or include details that are not needed. Humor is important but please do not force it by telling rib non-cracking jargon.

6. Acknowledge everyone:

Recognize everyone present at the event and introduce appropriately. The more pertinent your guest is, the more tailored the introduction ought to go.

7. Don’t brag we hate it:

Oh! Your audience knows all there is to know, about your father being a BIGWIG. They are not interested in news about you. If you insist on telling them about yourself please don’t brag, we have heard it and so much more.

8. Only take instructions from the Host:

A typical Nigerian knows how to take pride in what they have not done, they usually have directives on how things should go. In your best interest, take instructions only from the host, that way you do not get confused.

9. Liaise with the Disk Jockey:

Deejays can either make or mar your event, it is best to be on the same footing with the DJ on how you want the event to go. Know beforehand the tracks available.

10. Be different:

Being different works all the time, hence, what new thing are you bringing to the table? To make your mark, bring an extra something to the game.